Jaren Jackson Jr. has been receiving the most amount of criticism and negative publicity for the underwhelming performance of Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. As many NBA fans might be aware, the Memphis Grizzlies star was given an opportunity to represent his country at an international level.
Although Team USA was widely considered the prohibited favorites to win the 2023 FIBA World Cup, they were surprisingly eliminated by Team Germany in their quarterfinal matchup. Considering that Team USA has an impressive history filled with accolades, fans are not taking their elimination very well.
While it is certainly unfair to blame a single player for the failure of an entire team and coaching staff, many fans seem to believe that Jaren Jackson Jr. needs to be held accountable for Team USA’s loss. Since several NBA fans might not have been able to watch his performance at the FIBA World Cup, we should take a closer look and find out more.
NBA fans blame Jaren Jackson Jr. for Team USA’s elimination
While one could argue that several players on the Team USA roster underperformed at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, it is difficult to deny that Jaren Jackson Jr.’s performance has been the biggest letdown. Since he is one of the largest players on the squad, a lot was expected from him in terms of inside scoring, defense, and rebounding.
Throughout the 7 games that he played at the FIBA World Cup, the Grizzlies star averaged just around 8.1 points and 2.9 rebounds. Although it is possible for NBA stars to have off-shooting nights, averaging less than 3 rebounds while being listed at 6’11 has earned Jackson a whole lot of criticism.
Fans were quick to further analyze and break down his stats. They established that he accumulated only 19 rebounds in the 7-game stretch and also had 18 fouls. Therefore, he was exposed and mocked for winning the Defensive Player of the Year award last season.
Jaren Jackson for Team USA:
7 Games
19 Rebounds
18 Fouls
Eliminated by Theis (21 Points)CHARITY DPOY 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/u9ASNFNuBj
— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) September 9, 2023
People can spend all day discussing whether Jackson truly deserved the DPOY. However, he was clearly unable to live up to his title with Team USA. Hopefully, he is able to have a good season in the NBA and prove his doubters wrong.
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